The best camera for street photography

lewciooo1 · Dec 16, 2014

Hi,
I'd like to purchase a new camera for street photography. I've been thinking about Fujifilm X-Pro1 but I guess it's too expensive for me. I can spend about £ 700.

Thank you in advance !

KaPOWitsCHRIS · Dec 16, 2014

People often say smaller cameras are best for street photography as you can blend in easier and not get noticed. So if you agree with that then a micro 4/3 camera is the way to go. I've personally had no problems with using my Canon 6D and previous 500D which are fairly large and noticeable.

But what it boils down to is what you like. Read some reviews on popular cameras in your price range because at the end of the day, it's your choice and you need to be 110% happy with it.

ronlane · Dec 16, 2014

If you like the Fujifilm X-Pro-1, then look at the other Fujifilm offerings. There are a lot of people using them. They are lighter than a dslr and seem to take really good photos. Look for a used one.

elemental · Dec 16, 2014

How do you feel about electronic viewfinders? Cameras without tend to be smaller (and less expensive, depending on which system you're looking at), but it can be a big step if you're used to SLRs with optical viewfinders. What are you using today, or is this a first "nice" camera? I would look at:

Olympus E-P5 (looks like it's right at £700 with the kit lens): Small, great image quality, Micro Four-Thirds lens system, which give you lots of great options that are reasonably priced. The Panasonic 20mm or Olympus 17mm would give you something like a "classic" street photography lens, and you can get that Panasonic pretty cheap (not sure if it has banding issues on the E-P5, though -- I'd research that if you're considering it).
Fuji X-E2 (a little bit over your price range new with kit lens): Also small, excellent image quality with that "Fuji look." More limited lens selection, particularly if you're looking at the less expensive end of the spectrum (<$500).

There are some fixed-lens options as well (X100), but unless you've got multiple cameras, a fixed-lens option is limiting, and you can put together something similar with the right lens and one of the bodies above. There are quite a few mirrorless options that would be great for street shooting and versatile enough for just about anything else, so you've got a lot of good options these days.